sherm Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 "We can offer you a two year deal, £25,500 per week. We only have to look at what you have done and we know you're the right man for the job" "As long as you're sure. I've been gone a year, and I can't wait to get back into the game" "We haven't won a trophy for five years, and we know you are the man to change that for us. It's entirely your choice Barry" "You know George, now you put it like that...You have yourself a new manager. Where do I sign?" After shaking hands, I felt good. It was nice to be back in the game after a year out for recovery --- My time at Barcelona had been cut short by the accident. Truth be told, I would have left at the end of that season anyway, but I felt I could have won the trophies they craved. I don't know whether it was because they wanted to do right by me or not, but the team was phenomenal after I departed, winning the La Liga title, Champions League and the Spanish Cup, and when I watched Xavi lift the cup with his t-shirt on, my eyes swelled with tears. His shirt read a simple message This one is for you Barry That was something that meant a lot to me, and when I phoned Joan Laporta to congratulate him, he told me they had dedicated the win to me. That was more than six months ago though, and now I'm here. November 2014. The new manager of Liverpool. They hadn't won a trophy since the 2010 F.A Cup, a scandalous amount of time for a club this size. I felt I could really make a difference to them, and my determination to get back into the game led me to take the job Another factor was Ashley. She had been a great support over the last year or so, and we had grown so much closer. I wanted to be with her, so taking the Liverpool job seemed ideal. She had been through a lot lately, what with her mum passing away, but I wanted to be there for her. That's why I turned down job offers from the likes of Inter Milan, Real Zaragoza, Villarreal and Lazio. I was waiting for the right job in England to come up. Now it's here, and I start my new life at Anfield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 "We can offer you a two year deal, £25,500 per week. We only have to look at what you have done and we know you're the right man for the job" "As long as you're sure. I've been gone a year, and I can't wait to get back into the game" "We haven't won a trophy for five years, and we know you are the man to change that for us. It's entirely your choice Barry" "You know George, now you put it like that...You have yourself a new manager. Where do I sign?" After shaking hands, I felt good. It was nice to be back in the game after a year out for recovery --- My time at Barcelona had been cut short by the accident. Truth be told, I would have left at the end of that season anyway, but I felt I could have won the trophies they craved. I don't know whether it was because they wanted to do right by me or not, but the team was phenomenal after I departed, winning the La Liga title, Champions League and the Spanish Cup, and when I watched Xavi lift the cup with his t-shirt on, my eyes swelled with tears. His shirt read a simple message This one is for you Barry That was something that meant a lot to me, and when I phoned Joan Laporta to congratulate him, he told me they had dedicated the win to me. That was more than six months ago though, and now I'm here. November 2014. The new manager of Liverpool. They hadn't won a trophy since the 2010 F.A Cup, a scandalous amount of time for a club this size. I felt I could really make a difference to them, and my determination to get back into the game led me to take the job Another factor was Ashley. She had been a great support over the last year or so, and we had grown so much closer. I wanted to be with her, so taking the Liverpool job seemed ideal. She had been through a lot lately, what with her mum passing away, but I wanted to be there for her. That's why I turned down job offers from the likes of Inter Milan, Real Zaragoza, Villarreal and Lazio. I was waiting for the right job in England to come up. Now it's here, and I start my new life at Anfield Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Hey all Here is Part two of the Barry Hunter saga. Having recovered from his injuries, Barry has replaced Mark Venus as Liverpool manager in the hope of bringing some silverware to Anfield I enjoyed playing and writing Part one immensely, and the encouragement from the readers was a major factor for me. I hope you enjoy this part just as much The Hunter and the Hunted I hope I can make part two just as enjoyable for you to read Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 Liverpool sat in fourth place in the Premiership, the very same place in La Liga that Barcelona had been when I took charge, and as I did with los Cules, I looked at the squad and knew they were better than their position stated I was told that Mark Venus had been sacked because he wanted more time to build the squad. So time was not available. The board wanted success, and immediately. So the pressure was on me from the start Dean Bouzanis looked like the man to fill in the spot between the posts, although long serving Spaniard Jose Manuel Reina would provide a more than able back-up. I had no worries about the goalkeepers, but it was when I looked at the defence that I knew we had the biggest issues The left backs had a combined age of 38, and while Lee Blake was a decent player, his deputy was 17 year old Colin Green, who I felt wasn't up to the standard required, so I would be looking to replace the youngster in the upcoming transfer window. There was a problem on the other side of defence, as we had only one right full back on the books, and that was Garry Anderson, so I was determined to fill that void. Four central defenders were in the first team squad, with the favourites for the spots being Jack Hobbs and Godwin Antwi, although the two back-ups were Paraguayan defender Ronald Huth and 33 year old former Spanish international Pablo. I was not altogether sure that the defenders I had were good enough, and I could understand why they had not won a trophy for a while The midfield looked very good. Wingers were a key part of my formation, and there were four men capable of playing on the right hand side. Ricardo Quaresma was entering his fifth season as a Liverpool player, while Ryan Babel was a player who had been there for eight years. Both were top notch players that I was delighted to be working with. The other two players to back them up were both English, with David Amoo and Steve Irwin the men to step into their shoes should they be needed. On the left, there was a little less quality, and less options, with the favourite for the position looking like Portugal international Helder Barbosa. He had Paul Crook to back him up, and that was that for the left wing. The middle of the park looked exceptional, with Samir Nasri and Lucas Leiva the two main choices, but their challengers were good in their own right, as Manuel Fernandes and Javier Mascherano were more than capable of stepping up Three strikers were available to grace the pitch, with the two first choice options being Spain's top scorer Fernando Torres, and Holland's striker Klaas Jan-Huntelaar, both of whom were capable of scoring goals. There was also 29 year old Frenchman Andre Pierre-Gignac, but I would be looking to add to the squad in the winter window Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 11, 2008 Author Share Posted March 11, 2008 My first game in charge would be at Anfield, and it didn't take too much effort to pick the side. To be fair, it picked it self. Aston Villa were our opponents for the match, and with themselves chasing a European place, I knew I'd have a tough game on my hands. Ryan Babel looked like he wanted to prove to me he should be in the team every week, and an eight minute brace from the Dutchman sent us ahead before the 20 minute mark. We should have scored more, as we controlled the game, but five minutes into the second half, we shot ourselves in the foot, as Lee Blake's two footed lunge saw him dismissed. The visitors benefitted from this red card, as Moore got them back into it, and they had several more opportunities, but we held strong, and my first game in charge was ended with a 2-1 victory --- I was still in the dark as to why I'd been run down, but I had the suspicion that it hadn't been an accident. Everything I had been told didn't add up, and I was going to get to the bottom of it, even if it took years. I was back in the football world now, I had Ashley by my side, and life was perking up. If it had been up to me, I would have left things as they were, and I wouldn't have picked up the issue of my 'accident'. It was Ashley's persuasion that made me want to know what happened I had spoken with the police, hired a private detective, and I had the idea of finding out who it was that had ran me down. If it took me a long time, it took me a long time. If it didn't, it didn't. To be honest, I had other things on my mind, and I wanted to concentrate on getting my life back on track, get my managing career on track, and start my life a-fresh with Ashley. Barry Hunter was back. Barry Hunter was going to be better than ever Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haowan Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Started reading part one yesterday and finished it all today. Fabulous story... By the way, what year are you in and where's Steven Gerrard? KUTGW! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haowan Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 sorry for double post but just read the opening post again...2014...is Steven Gerrard retired? And how old is Fernando Torres? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borowski29 Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Good to see you back Sherm, looking forward to you taking over my beloved Liverpool. A Premiership and Champions League double should keep me happy!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom =) Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Looking promising Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Pike Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I'm here for Part 2 as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 12, 2008 Author Share Posted March 12, 2008 Cheers guys Haowan, Gerrard is currently at Swansea at this point in time, while Torres is 31 (but still top class) Borowski, I'll see what I can do Tom, Nathan, welcome aboard --- Wigan were the next test we faced, and with no Lee Blake, it meant that 17 year old Colin Green stepped in for his debut. The youngster, to his credit, didn't look phased, but for the first 45 minutes, he was struggling to control the home side's winger Carlitos. He was the man who scored Wigan's first, and a penalty from Topuz saw them grab two before half time. However, we grabbed two ourselves, from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The second half was all ours though, as Huntelaar completed his hat-trick, and Godwin Antwi headed home a fourth. It was a win, but to be conceding two against Wigan was disappointing, and I just thanked my lucky stars that we could score goals -- "If it was up to me I wouldn't be that bothered, but I suppose I would like to know" "So you haven't got any idea who it is then?" "Not a clue. I don't even know why anyone would want to do that to me to be honest" "Who have you upset?" "I'm a football manager. Anybody who's team I've ever beat I'd say" "Hmm. It is a poser. We'll find out, don't worry" "I'm not worried. I'm not all that bothered to be frank" My first Champions League game in charge of Liverpool saw a trip to France to play Marseille, former charges of our own Samir Nasri, and it was a game we needed to win. For the second successive game, we ran out as 4-2 winners, with both our strikers grabbing a brace a piece, and Falcao grabbing a brace for his side, but the wins aw us top the group and needing just a point to qualify. I was happy with the way we were scoring, but the defence needed to be shored up, and fast Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamo_Eng Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 A Liverpool story, I will definitely be aboard for this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Cheers Dynamo --- I faced my first real tests as Liverpool manager next up, with two former Premiership winners as our opponents. The first of these that we played was Manchester Utd, who were coached by a man I had a lot of respect for. They themselves were challenging for the league title and sat a point off the top, so even with us being at home, I knew we had a tough game on the horizon. I was stood in the dugout just before kick-off when Brucie came over to me, grinning from ear to ear "Barry, it's good to have you back" "Is it? So would you mind being generous and giving us the points then?" "You know I can't do that. How was Spain?" "Great. I would have liked to stay longer but I'm glad to be back" "Alright, well good luck today" "You too Steve" Both sides started the game at a high tempo, with Bouzanis and Kuszczak both tested, but it was just after the quarter of an hour mark that we opened the scoring, Torrs slotting through for Babel to dink over the on-rushing 'keeper. That should have been a platform for us to build on, and when Babel missed an open goal ten minutes later, I was tearing my hair out. This miss was something we were left to rue, as Wayne Rooney equalised with a stunning volley from 25 yards. With the scores level at half time, I felt a change was necessary, so Gignac replaced the jaded Huntelaar. The French striker gave a fresh impotus into the side, and it was his dummy run that allowed Quaresma to square the ball for Torres to slot the ball into the goal. Again, it should have been a platform for us to go on, but our fragile defence let us down, and Rooney's second equaliser saw both teams settle for a point, a result which wouldn't have been so bad, except that we had been in front twice --- "Mr Hunter? We've made some progress on your accident" "Oh. Well what news have we got then?" "The car that ran you down was registered to a Sergei Graktin. Does that name mean anything to you?" "I'm sorry no, not a thing. Who is he?" "He's a Lithuanian hitman, wanted in several countries around the world" "Hitman? You mean he was hired?" That was shock news to me. Somebody had hired this Lithuanian to run me down. Why would anybody want to do that? What had I done to deserve that? I still had the thoughts running through my head as we travelled to London to face Chelsea. We were outplayed in the entire game, and our defence struggled to cope with the Londoner's attacking prowess. We found ourselves 3-0 down at the break, with goals from Carlos Tevez and two from Guiseppe Rossi, and despite scoring twice in the second half through Torres and Huntelaar, Rossi completed his hat-trick and we succumbed to a 4-2 loss, my first one as Liverpool boss Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 The police had said that they would be keeping their eye out for any information on Graktin, but until they had anything I was told to try and carry on as normal. I had no intention fo doing anything other than that, and with two more games until we entered December, I wanted wins in both of them. The first saw us welcome Dutch side FC Twente to New Anfield, and it was a game that would see us qualify top of the group if we picked up the points. It turned out to be a simple game, as our opponents were not all that good, and once Huntelaar headed home after 11 minutes, it was game over. He scored his second with five minutes left till half time, before completing his hat-trick on the hour mark. Gignac rounded things up with a fourth on 65 minutes, and we advanced through to the knockout stages --- "Hows the house hunting going?" "Not very well. I can't find anywhere that's decent, and that flat's not good enough. Not big enough" "Oh. Maybe you should look closer to home?" "How do you mean?" "Well. What if you were to move in with me?" "Seriously? Are you sure it's what you want?" "Yes. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I just think it would be the right time" "OK. Well I'd love to live with you then" That certainly brightened up my mood. I was moving in with Ashley. She meant so much to me, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. When Heather left, I thought I'd never love again. I didn;t think that I'd ever meet anybody ever again. Ash changed all that, and now my life is starting to get back on track I went into our next game, which saw fellow Premiership side West Ham make the trip to Merseyside. In terms of how the actual game went, it wasn;t all that exciting. The one big milestone was that it was my first Premier league clean sheet as Liverpool manager, but I was hoping that the right signings in January could provide more of them. We only managed to score the one goal in the game, a beautiful team move involving five players and 34 passes, before Ryan Babel curled the ball home from just inside the area, and the win temporarily sent us second Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 I had spoken with my chief scout, one of Mark Venus' men, and he had suggested several players that would make good additions to the back four. The left back was a player I was really interested in, as everybody in the club seemes to rate him highly. Miguel Angel Ibanez was at Villarreal, and he was unhappy with the conditions at the club, which meant he was on the transfer list and available at less than £4,000,000, a fee which I felt was reasonable for a Spanish international. I had also been notified of the availability of Wigan goalkeeper Mark Ainsley, who, at just 20 years old, was a real star in the making, and with Jose Reina approaching the later stages of his career, I felt another keeper was necessary. Our opening game of the month saw us travel to Sheffield to face the red and white side of the city. Sheffield Utd were a side I was quite familiar with, having played them several times over my seasons with Forest, but they still had some talent in the ranks, particularly Billy Sharp, who had over 200 career goals to his name. It wasn't the little striker that scored the opener though, but his strike partner Jonathan Pereira, who capitalised on a mistake from Godwin Antwi to round Bouzanis and slot into the empty net. This was the wake up call we needed, and we were level within three minutes, Barbosa's cross being pushed straight to the feet of Torres who slammed it back past the 'keeper. The game was all in our favour at this point, and we secured the lead less than a minute before the half time break, Huntelaar finding himself in a one-on-one situation and calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner. It just so happened that goal was enough to seal the points, but we should have scored more in the second half, with Torres, Gignac, Babel and Hobbs all missing chances, but I was happy enough to settle for the 2-1 win --- "I don't know. You really think he's good enough boss?" "Definately. He's strong, quick, played over 250 games for his club. I know it seems a lot but I think he'll be worth it" "Alright, well I'll fax the bid off in the morning. Have you got anyone else in mind other than Bocaly?" "Striker from Torino. Acquafresca. He's got a good record, scoring ability is second to none. Only thing is that he's 30 so might not have him for too long, but I think he'd do a job" "Yeah I've seen him in action on Italian football on five. He's a big lad. I think you should go for him" I had hoped to go for both Garry Bocaly and Robert Acquafresca in the window, and having spoken to my assistant, he felt that both would be decent acquisitions. I was really worried about Antwi in the middle of defence, so I felt Bocaly would really shore it up for our charge for trophies, and I had no problem with forking out the nigh on ten million to purchase him Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Lazio were our final opponents in the Champions league group stages, and with Zeefuik out for the Italians, I was confident of a win. What I did not expect though, was the performance of the magnitude that was given. We out five goals past a hapless Lazio, and despite the fact we conceded twice, for once I wasn;t all that bothered. Torres and Huntelaar were forming a stunning partnership together, and they scored all five goals between them, the Spanish international with a hat-trick and the big Dutchman scoring the other two. This wasn't before we were one down after 43 seconds, Foggia firing home from 20 yards, but once the second half came about, we were dominant, and ran out as victors We were due to play our next game live on Sky, with Sunderland our opponents, and Roy Keane's side were doing themselves justice in the league, sitting fourth in the table, so I anticipated a tough test, as seemed to be the case whenever we played a Premiership game. We took the lead after 21 minutes, Babel being brought down and then Huntelaar slotting it into the corner, beforer Quaresma fired home a stunning free-kick just before half time. This goal was enough to send us to victory, and I was happy with the way the team were starting to gel together --- "This is the last chance now. There's no turning back after I put my stuff in" "No it's fine. I want to do this, I promise. Barry, can I have a quick chat?" "Sure. what's up?" "Well. There's another reason I asked you to move in" "Oh. Dare I ask?" "Well. There's another person in the house" "What? There's me and you" "And...?" "You're not...?" "Yes. I've done the tests and it's certain. I'm pregnant" I was going to be a dad again. I missed being a dad to my kids, and to say that I was delighted would be an understatement. I was thrilled to bits, and the smile never left my face for weeks afterwards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 The news of Ashley's pregnancy had me in a jovial mood as myself and the team headed down to another familiar team to me, former rivals of my Forest side, Derby. It was a game that I felt we needed to win quite convincingly if we were to show that we were serious about challenging for honours. We were struck a major blow in the warm up to the match, as Torres picked up a stubbed toe, so a quick re-shuffle saw Gignac drafted into the line-up, although I hadn't wanted to play him all that much. It was our other main striker that opened the scoring though, as Babel threaded the ball through for Huntelaar to slide underneath the 'keeper. We were much the better side throughout the game, and chances came the way of Huntelaar, Babel, Gignac and Hobbs, but it wasn't until the 68th minute that the game was sealed, as Garry Anderson whipped a cross in for Andre Gignac to head past the stranded 'keeper and seal the points --- "Yeah. Well she's only 6 weeks along, but I'm looking forward to the experience again" "Don't you think you're a little bit too old for this now?" "No. I'm still a fit bloke, I'm 48, Ash is 32. Why not?" "No I just wondered. I am pleased for you, but I just want you to be careful" "Careful? Why? I'm a grown man Stu" "I know, I know. Just ignore me, and enjoy the prospect of fatherhood. Again" Stu's concerns were baffling. I couldn't understand what he was bothered about. I was going to be a dad for the third time, and I couldn't be more delighted. My mood seemed to have rubbed off on the team, and we welcomed Arsenal to New Anfield in a buoyant state of mind. This was soon scuppered after four minutes, Javi Martinez firing home into the bottom corner after a surging run. We were level on 16 minutes, Torres chesting the ball down and ramming it home into the bottom corner. Half time drew to a close at 1-1, and when Criscito slotted home a penalty to put the Londoners back in front, we picked the game up, and on 72 minutes, we gained our point, Torres' second of the game securing us the draw and keeping us in with a shout at the top of the table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 The transfer window loomed large, and four new charges entered the ranks at New Anfield. Garry Bocaly was the main man to come in, as he joined from his hometown club Marseille for £9,250,000. He was a top notch centre back, and I was delighted to have the Frenchman at my disposal. Miguel Angel Ibanez was the left back who was due to take the starting spot from Lee Blake, the Spaniard joining for £3,700,000 from Villarreal. He had four caps for Spain and I was sure he would be an excellent addition to the squad. The other two players that joined up were different, with Torino striker Robert Acquafresca joining as a short term option, while Wigan's goalkeeper Mark Ainsley joined on a £3,200,000 deal. He was a 20 year old with precocious talent, and I felt that he would be a great replacement for Reina when time was up for the Spanish stopper --- 2015 opened up with F.A Cup action, and we travelled to face Peterborough in the third round. Of the new signings, I decided to start with Acquafresca and Ibanez, while Ainsley sat on the bench. We should have won the game comfortably even without many of the first teamers out, and the 3-0 win was nothing more fitting than we deserved. David Amoo had started upfront alongside Acquafresca, and it was the Englishman that opened up the scoring, slotting the ball home from Fernandes' pass just after the half hour mark. It was in the last ten minutes we sealed the game, with Acquafresca's debut goal and substitute Ryan Babel finishing the game off in injury time, anmd we sealed our progression through to round four with ease "Well we haven't won the Champions League since 2005, so it would be nice to get that trophy in the cabinet again" "Can I be honest? I'm not sure that we are quite ready for that this season. We don;t have the squad just yet" "We understand your concerns, and for the summer window we can provide you with the necessary funds. We do expect a trophy this season though, whether it be the F.A Cup or Premiership" "We're starting to hit form George, so I think we can get back into the title race. I shall do my best anyway" "That's why we hired you Barry. We know you're the man for the job, and we have full faith in your ability" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 "I've got the scans on Saturday at 3.30" "Saturday? Can't you re-arrange it? I've got a game that day" "I can't change it now. Don't worry. Mums going to come with me" "I know but I would have liked to be there" I was upset that I was missing the first scans, but I couldn't help the fact that I had a game that same day. That game happened to be a trip to the Midlands, to face the previous seasons League Cup winners Birmingham. I had felt we wouldn't have too much trouble, but I was sadly mistaken, and we found ourselves two behind after 25 minutes of play, thanks to goals from Georgian midfielder Mechedlidze and Dutchman Stijn Schaars. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and a shake-up was required. As soon as we went behind, Samir Nasri went up-front, and the former Marseille man seemed intent on proving a point to me, as he had a huge hand in winning the match for us, grabbing himself a hat-trick, which I was told later was his first in his career. His first goal was a follow up from Torres' shot. while his next two were both efforts from the distance, and although I was delighted with the points, we had certainly made hard work of the win --- The next game, which saw Lancashire side Bolton make the trip to be our opponents, was one that involved one man. Robert Acquafresca made his Premiership debut for us, and when he walked off the pitch at the end he had the match ball in his hand, thanks to a debut hat-trick. The third minute saw the opener, Acqafresca's power taking him past his man and into the box to fire home. His final two came on 75 minutes and 88 minutes, and I was delighted that the big lad managed to cap his Premiership debut with a stunning hat-trick, and more importantly we kept up our excellent run of form Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBev Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 *Raises hand nervously* Sir, I thought that Ashley's mum had passed away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoopyPants Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BobBev: *Raises hand nervously* Sir, I thought that Ashley's mum had passed away </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Stepmum perhaps KUTGStory sherm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Sorry for the long delay without a post folks, my internet access has been somewhat diminished. Fortunately I'm back up and running and posting will commence again tomorrow. Thankyou for the patience Oh, and Bob - you are indeed right, it was my mistake. I hadn't even noticed until you pointed the error out Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca69 Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Great story so far mate!! Giving me something to read while im on holiday till me next match Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 Cheers Macca --- Ashley had been to the doctors with her friend Melissa, and when she brought home the picture of our unborn child, it brought a tear or two to my eyes. I know that sounds strange, seen as I've been through this twice before, but somehow it felt different this time. My mood was buoyant, to say the least, and travelling down to Manchester was as pleasant a journey as I've ever encountered. Our opponents were the side I supported as a boy, Manchester City, who had actually made some good progress through the last couple of seasons, so I expected a tough game. Although it wasn't as I thought, I was impressed with the hard work and graft shown by the blue half of Manchester, but in the end, we proved too much for them, as an early goal from Torres and a late goal from Huntelaar giving us the points. Our strike pairing had been in lethal form thus far, and although they were both the wrong end of 30, they certainly looked like showing no signs of ageing "For christ sake. How hard is it to score a penalty. You're a pro footballer man" My inflamed response had been to our Dutch front man smacking his penalty onto the post. I could never understand how a professional footballer could miss one on one from twelve yards. Fortunately, we were 2-0 up at the time, and our fourth round F.A Cup tie was in our favour.Reading had been powerless to stop our first half onslaught, and it was the same goalscorers as against City. The penalty miss looked like it could cause us problems, espeically as Jan Vertonghen went up the other end and converted the ball. It wasn't serious though, and we held on for the win to progress through to the fifth round of a competition in which I had been into the semi finals on one occasion with Forest, so I wanted to do well for myself and the team Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 "You do know that I'm not having more than one. I've seen what childbirth does" "To be fair I wasn't planning on this one, but I'm a dad again so I'll make the most of it" "I've been thinking of names" "Already? So what do you want our child to be called?" "If it's a boy, then Anthony. If it's a girl, Ruth" "OK. Well lets make a deal. If it's a boy, you name him. If it's a girl, I'll name her" "OK. I'm happy with that" We were back in Premiership action very soon afterwards, as Fulham made the trip to Merseyside. For the second straight game, we missed a spot kick, and this one, taken by Mascherano in the 78th minute, looked like it would be very costly, as it was 1-1 at the time. However, we were saved in stoppage time, Ryan Babel sliding home after a through ball from Torres. Our opening goal had been an equaliser on 39 minutes, Paul Crook's first for the club, after Mauro Zarate had slotted home a 20th minute penalty, but we worked hard and claimed our sixth win on the bounce Six wins became seven in the next match, and it was nice to be able to stroll to victory after a couple of hardworking games before it. Our opponents were Lancashire side Blackburn Rovers, and once Ryan Babel opened the scoring on 13 minutes, there was never any danger of us not winning. We did squander several chances though, and had to wait until the last ten minutes to secure the win. Babel, Torres, Quaresma and Barbosa all missed good chances, but Torres and Samir Nasri sealed the points, Nasri slotting home a penalty in stoppage time at the third time of asking, and we were beginning to claw ever closer to top spot in the table Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted April 1, 2008 Author Share Posted April 1, 2008 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> skysports.com Hunter's Mersey magic Nobody can accuse Barry Hunter of failing to make an impact. Anywhere the Englishman goes, there seems to be wins and goals galore. Since taking over Liverpool in October, he has guided them to second in the Premiership, negotiated their way through the Champions league group stages and to the F.A Cup fifth round, and a team that hasn't won a trophy since 2010 looks well on the way to ending that run. The former Nottingham Forest and Barcelona boss has really got the fans of the Merseysiders jumping on the bandwagon, and if he could bring some silverware home at the end of the season then he would go a long way to cementing himself as an Anfield hero However, Hunter himself has admitted that he is hungry for European success, after it was robbed from him in suich a crude fashion at Barcelona, but maybe this season is too soon for his Liverpool side. If he keeps strengthening the squad, and using his excellent man management skills, then surely it won't be too long for that success to come? </div></BLOCKQUOTE> Charlton provided us with our first test of valentines month, a month which would also see us return to European action. The game aginst the Londoners was rather dire, and it wasn't until five minutes until the end of the game that we went in front, Babel feeding the ball through for substitute Robert Acquafresca to round the 'keeper and slide into the unguarded goal. That should have been enough to send us to another victory, but it actually wasn't to be the case, and Darren Ambrose headed home in injury time to secure the visitors a point A draw was the result in our next game too, the F.A Cup fifth round tie against Derby. It was a game we should have won easily, but Kenny Miller put the visitors in a surprise lead. After that, we dominated the match, and when Andre Gignac equalised, we should have gone on and absolutely punished our opponents. This was not to be the case, and we had another game added to our schedule with the reply down at Pride Park, but I wasn't all too worried, as I knew we had the squad strength to cope Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca69 Posted April 1, 2008 Share Posted April 1, 2008 KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 Cheers Macca --- With the football going as well as it possibly could, and my life definately getting into the best shape it had been for a while, it would be fair to say that I was a happy man. Ashley's pregnancy was something I hadn't expected, but with her nearly three months along, I was lookingm forward to the prospect of fatherhood again. The police had also got a lead on the culprit of my 'accident' too, and I was called into the station to answer a few questions "Ah Mr Hunter. Please, have a seat" I sat in front of the officer, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know who it was. Still, I may aswell know while I'm here "Now, before we start, does the name Gregor Pasanowski ring a bell?" "No, not a thing. Should it?" "Well it was his car that ran you down, and we are certain he was in it when it hit you" "Ok. Well who is this Pasa...Pas...I can't even say it" "Pasanowski. He's wanted here and in America. Polish hitman, been convicted of killing at least 6 people" "So why would he want to kill me?" "We think he was paid. We aren't sure who by, but that is what we intend to find out" "OK. Well I'm not worrying about it, as I don't think he would try it again, but thankyou for letting me know" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A Polish hitman had been hired and paid to kill me. Why on earth would anybody want to kill me. Still, I planned to do exactly what I had said I was going to do, and I took it completely out of my mind. I had football matches to focus on, and I wanted to win football games with my Liverpool side Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherm Posted April 6, 2008 Author Share Posted April 6, 2008 The next one of those games saw us travel to Germany to face Leverkusen in our return Champions League action. The Bundesliga leaders were a side on form, having not lost in 2015, in fact having not lost since October, so I was expecting a tough test from our opponents. I didn't think that they would come out of the traps the way they did, having forced Dean Bouzanis into four saves in the opening quarter of an hour, and sandwiched in between was the opening goal from young striker Gunther Helmes, and at that moment, we looked in trouble. The German side controlled the first half, and I would have taken going in at just 1-0 behind, but we were saved right on the stroke of the whistle, a defensive mistake allowing Huntelaar to nip in and power home past the 'keeper This was the signal for us to pick up the pace, and the second half belonged to us. We ran the German side ragged, and without their 'keeper their fate would have been much worse, as we managed two more away goals, with Torres just after the hour mark and Quaresma in injury time leaving us with one foot in the quarter finals. We landed at John Lennon airport in a jovial mood, but one phonecall put paid to that very quickly "Hello, is this Barry Hunter?" "Yes it is" "It's Dr Stephen Odofiya here, from Merseyside General Hospital" "Oh. How can I help you?" "I believe you are the partner of Ashley Travers?" "Yes that's right. Is there a problem?" "She had been admitted into the hospital with stomach pains, but I'm afraid to tell you that she has suffered a miscarriage" "What? Jesus. Right I will be there in half an hour. How is she?" "She's stable, but she could really do with you there" "I'm on my way now" I needed to be with Ashley, and I hit the accelerator on the car with force, and I got myself to the hospital in fifteen minutes to be with her. She needed to have people around her that loved her, and I was by her bedside in a shot Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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